Maye Musk On The Art Of Reinvention
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What does Maye Musk say about redefining success as you age?
The Claire Burns Show on News Talk. With Aviva Insurance.
Now, if you've ever thought that your best years might be behind you, our next guest is here to challenge that. She's a dietitian, an entrepreneur, an international model, a best selling author, and yes, mother of one of the most famous people in the world. But as her new memoir makes clear, her story is far bigger than being Elon Musk's mom. That said she often defends and sounds proud of some of her son's most controversial actions. The book is called Timeless The Art of Reinvention and Resilience at Any Age, and I'm delighted to say that Mae Musk joins me on the line. It's wonderful to have you with us today, May. The title of your book struck me because a lot of people believe that life follows a schedule, so you have your education, then your career, perhaps in your thirties through
to your forties and fifties, and sometime after that you're meant to slow down. What pattern would you say your own life followed in that context?
Well, my life got better as I got older because I became more successful. My children became more successful. We became we are recognized now for what we have achieved, you know. Why instead of introducing yourself to become Um Good at what you to So that people will recognise that you are good at your profession. So that's why I was, you know, doing Master of Science degrees. and uh very active in the dietetic field. And then um Just kept mounting side uh on the side and then suddenly they needed an older model uh and I started doing front covers, which was great. In my seventies. I didn't expect that.
I'm sure you didn't, but we have a a a an ongoing conversation in this country about women and I'm sure you have it where you are as well. You know, women who have children and and you I know had your three children and in that very busy period, that you're expected to work like you don't have children and to parent like you don't have a job. And it is nigh on impossible, isn't it?
Well, I d I don't um think of that at all. I I think uh you just go with with a flow and if the flow is not happy, you m doesn't make you happy, you change the flow. You make it change.
How did Maye balance a demanding career with raising three children?
And uh Yeah, um I don't I don't follow any rules, obviously. Oh ooh. thoughts of of parenting because uh my children had to be very independent because as they say I was working all the time. But off but from home, as a t as a dietitian I I had one bedroom into an office and I saw patients at home and they just had to behave because they couldn't make a noise when I'm when I'm counselling.
So your children learned how to almost fend for themselves while you were there working, but it at a very early age. And that's how you chose to do your job as a as a parent and it uh it worked for you.
Yes, well, um I uh just wanted my children to be considerate of others and help me and be kind. And um do their own thing, you know. Don't get hurt. Don't get be
safe while Mom is working. Yes. Well you were operating from a a point of necessity. I mean people may here may may not be familiar with your story, but you moved countries, you had to rely on yourself and your resilience and and you were starting at one point certainly when you came to Canada from South Africa with almost nothing, is that fair?
Yes, it's it's really hard to start uh with nothing because you know the the South African government uh blocks your funds, so you can't take money out. Even though I sold my uh my daughter sold my home. And um So y you c you can you you can stay in a one bedroom apartment and then you gradually get a rent controlled three bedroom apartment, which was to me a luxury. And uh it took us f three weeks to clean it up so that we can move in. But then you and then you also find out that there's you can get us um clothes that are very inexpensive and you can get linen that's very inexpensive if it has some kind of flaw in it.
I mean they were difficult days though, right? I mean I know you say you got through them in a practical way, but you don't shy away from those difficult periods in the book.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What does Maye Musk say about redefining success as you age?
0:02–2:24
2
How did Maye balance a demanding career with raising three children?
2:24–5:13
3
What challenges did she face when immigrating to Canada with almost nothing?
5:13–7:26
4
Why does she describe writing about her early abusive marriage as important?
7:26–9:55
5
How have Elon and her other children supported her later in life?
9:55–12:27
6
What impact does Elon’s fame have on Maye’s personal security and daily life?
12:27–14:17
7
How does Maye approach aging, reinvention, and the pressure on women to disappear?
14:17–14:53